Time for clubs to step forward and ask hard questions

THE CLUBS in Wexford have to make the call to bring more clarity into the public domain with regard to the County Board’s expenditure. For the sake of transparency, which County Chairman Derek Kent promised on his election to office, the need to know the exact spending detail under each figure is now more important than ever.

Over recent months County G.A.A. Boards around the country have been in the limelight, regarding sponsorship, details of expenditure, and the costs of running inter-county teams.

All of this is coming at a time when the finances of the F.A.I., where the accounts unravelled, have whetted the appetite for boardroom disorder, wherever it can be found.

One would rather see countless contentious county Conventions than an Oireachtas committee invite or a threat of administration. Governance standards and appropriate resources are the G.A.A’s problems, not insolvency.

One might say, what has this all to do with Wexford G.A.A. whose nett surplus showed €369,422 for 2019, but it matters a great deal given the steep rise in expenditure. At present a glaring light is being shone on the spiralling costs, not just on inter-county teams, but also on other facets of the Association in the county.

Now many clubs are arguing that they were not given sufficient opportunity at county Convention to seek further clarity under each heading, particularly when it came to increased expenditure.

Now the call is being made to club delegates to County Board to demand further information and have more detail of expenditure brought into the public domain.

Transparency is important, particularly when it comes to the presentation of finances. The County Chairman may have promised this on his election to office, but rather than following through on this, he chose instead to have County Board affairs discussed behind closed doors.

Some delegates are now claiming that there is a lack of information forthcoming to them at the monthly meetings, not alone on finances but on all aspects of the Association in the county.

As club delegates prepare for the opening County Board meeting of 2020, there are many questions that have been left unanswered, in the light of happenings at county Convention.

Of particular interest to clubs and the public, who give of their loyal support, must be team expenses, which rose from €850,144 in 2018 to €928,331 last year.

The same number of inter-county games were involved despite having qualified for both Senior and Minor All-Ireland semi-finals, because quarter-final games were avoided as a result of winning both Leinster titles.

Expenditure was outlined under various sub-headings, but there’s a total lack of detail as to each inter-county team’s expenditure.

Surely it must be possible to outline the spend of each side, both hurling and football. As an example, it would be interesting to hear the spend of the Minor hurling side and if they stayed within budget.

Administration rose from €352,392 in 2018 to €468,667 last year, another eye-watering increase.

The cost of tickets rose from €11,991 to €45,992, a figure that needs further explaining other than just saying there’s an increase in sponsors, while staff costs rose from €220,981 to €280,249, another staggering increase that requires detailed explanation.

Catering, hotels and overnights rose by some €45,000, with no detailed clarification as to how this arose, while sportsgear and equipment jumped from €85,516 to €120,786.

Much of this was offset by an increase in commercial and fundraising income which rose from €792,626 in 2018 to €989,739 last year, but one still saw a staggering decrease in gate receipts and National League income.

Unquestionably, there needs to be more detailed information presented to delegates and clubs, particularly in establishing the costs of each inter-county side.

An aggregate figure is no longer sufficient under various expenditure headings since it leaves it impossible to compare and contrast expenditure to make it more cost effective.

Wexford G.A.A. now needs to be more transparent, and this - in the present climate of an ongoing media ban - can only be achieved through the clubs.